Genesee County plans to spend up to $110,000 on replacement for fired controller George Martini

GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The county has started its search for a replacement for fired controller George Martini, and the Board of Commissioners is willing to pay up to $110,000 in annual salary for the right candidate.

Commissioners approved an announcement for the job opening in a special meeting Wednesday, Jan. 23, and agreed to develop a detailed job description.

Commissioner Pegge Adams, D-Davison, asked to further develop a job description from the county's Human Resources Department, saying the county board needs to be perfectly clear about its expectations for the next chief financial officer.

"When you look at a job description, it frames the expectations of this body," Adams said. "We should be clear with those qualities we want to see."

The decision to move quickly to fill the controller's post comes just one week after a divided county commission fired Martini, who some commissioners said they had lost faith in.

The firing came in the same month Martini told commissioners he has been the subject of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office and had been told he would not be prosecuted if he resigned his position.

The investigation is tied to oversight of Career Alliance, the county's job training agency, which was forced to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars because of improper spending in the past.

Martini, who was an at-will employee, has retained an attorney and some commissioners have said they expect the former controller to sue the county as a result of the firing.

An initial posting for the position requires a master's degree, at least five years of public finance administration and sets a salary range of $90,000 to $110,000 annually.

Assistant county controller Jauneysa Dorsey is serving as acting controller until a replacement is found.

The controller oversees a $78.6 million general fund budget and a total budget of more than $153 million.